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KATHLEEN
"KITTY" McSHANE (1897-1964) Kathleen "Kitty" McShane (pictured opposite) , was born Catherine McShane in Dublin, Ireland, on 19th May 1897, the fourth child of Daniel and Kate McShane. They'd had seventeen children in all, of whom only seven survived. They were, Peter, Michael, Danny, Catherine, Esther, Bridget and Anne. Kitty's excellent singing voice secured her the lead part in Arthur Lucan's pantomime, 'LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD' in Dublin, in 1910. She was only 16 - but must have been mature for her age - when she married 28 year old Arthur Lucan whilst he was on tour in Ireland. The couple were married on 25 November 1913, at the Church of St Andrews, Dublin. The double act of Lucan and McShane was a music hall favorite for nearly 40 years. They gradually evolved the stage characters of Old Mother Riley, with Arthur in drag, and her attractive daughter Kitty, whose flighty, wayward ways occasioned many of Mother's hilarious tirades. Kitty appeared in 14 of the 15 Old Mother Riley films. Besides playing "straight" for Lucan's comedy, she carried the love interest in the films. Arthur and Kitty's own turbulent marriage ended in separation in 1951. In Kitty's last film, Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure (1951), their scenes were filmed on separate days! Arthur made one more film - Old Mother Riley Meets Dracula (1952), with Bela Lugosi. He also continued to make stage appearances, before his sudden death in the wings of the Tivoli Theatre in Kingston-Upon-Hull on 17th May 1954. The widowed Kitty enlisted an impersonator to carry on the act, but with little success. Following the death of her lover, Billy Bleach, of cancer of the bladder, in December 1963, Kitty's drinking gradually worsened. She was found dead at her London home three months later, on 24th March 1964. The cause of death was not reported. The circle was now complete. This
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Kitty McShane. 
Kitty McShane with husband Arthur Lucan, in his familiar Old Mother Riley garb. [Click on picture for larger image.] Below is an excerpt from The Times newspaper detailing Kitty McShane's estate following her death in 1964.
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